The play's the thing at Little City Books in Hoboken, N.J. The store will double as a theater this week when it hosts a production of A Walk in the Woods by Lee Blessing on Thursday and Friday evenings.
The play is being staged by faculty of the Hudson School, a local private day school with a robust theater program. Tickets cost $20 each, and all proceeds benefit the renovation of the school's theater.
Presenting plays in the shop is something that owners Kate Jacobs and Donna Garban planned for prior to opening Little City Books in 2015. A system for sound and lighting was installed, along with a theatrical curtain to create a neutral backdrop. "Otherwise everyone would perform with a wall of YA behind them," noted Jacobs. Shelves in the middle of the store are rolled away to create seating space for about 60 audience members. (A second play, in conjunction with New York City theater company Elevator Repair Service, is scheduled for April.)
A Walk in the Woods features two arms negotiators, an American and a Soviet, meeting in Geneva to hash out Cold War weapons reductions. Rather than conduct their business in a negotiation room, the duo talks outdoors as they try to find common ground. Jacobs and Garban had been interested in partnering with director and Hudson School instructor Vivian Hasbrouk, who approached them about hosting two of the show's six performances. A two-character play with a streamlined set of a park bench seemed like a perfect fit for the store's space. Starring in A Walk in the Woods are teachers and thespians Jack Coggins and John Koeppl.
Although Little City Books is not making money from the events, there are benefits. "Working with other groups always adds to our promotional reach," said Jacobs. In addition, she and Garban take the "cultural hub" part of their mission "very seriously. We tend to say yes to any proposals from the community that we think will be great additions to the cultural life of the town."
Earlier this month the store hosted "Little City Limits," with artists covering classic country music songs and a full band. All but 5% of ticket sales was given to the musicians. "We probably about broke even," said Jacobs. The credo is that an event "has to do one of three things, preferably two: make money, benefit the community and be really fun for Donna and me." --Shannon McKenna Schmidt